A powerful earthquake in southwest Pakistan killed at least 160 people early Wednesday, destroying mud homes and sending survivors screaming into the streets in panic.

At least eight villages were badly hit in the 6.4-magnitude quake, police said, warning that the death toll could climb still higher as rescue workers reached villages in the remote region bordering Afghanistan.

It struck just after 5:00 am (2300 GMT Tuesday) and left scores more people injured, local authorities said.

“Around 160 people have died so far,” said Khushal Khan, spokesman for Zamarak Khan, revenue minister of gas-rich Baluchistan province.

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Residents in the region around the historic hill town of Ziarat, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of the provincial capital Quetta, told him about 6,000 people have been displaced.

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“The toll may go up. The dead included 29 members of the same family,” Khushal Khan added.